4/17 OC Bat Rays

[Farmer_Joey]

Went to an OC beach that started producing some fish about a month ago for some morning fishing. Started fishing at the 2nd half of the incoming tide. Surf was small and almost no salad.

Had baits out by a little after 7am. Not too long into the soak, I notice my dad's rod get hit and the line slacks up. I pick it up and wind to set the hook and hand it to my dad. Fish made a good first run and walked him up and down the beach. After about a 20 minute fight on his spinner, he finally gets it into the surf for me to grab it and it's the biggest bat ray I've seen in person. I could barely even move it. I measure it with the rod and when I got home it came out to 57 inches wide. Got some pictures of it and slid her back into the surf.

Some guys next us fishing light line were catching fish after that, a couple croakers and small corbinas as well as a couple small bat rays. After they left a kid came by to fish the same spot and caught 3 more small rays.

Around 11 or 11:30am my dad gets another biter. Quick uneventful fight and it's another bat ray but not as big, somewhere in the 40-45 inch range. One more big run from a ray that dropped the bait right when he touched the rod. I couldn't get bit to save myself, my baits sat untouched the whole time.

No more bites after that and we left at 1:30. Wish something more interesting and toothier would have bit, but at this point we'll take anything after having such a slow start to the year. Fishing is definitely improving though.

[sasquatch]

57 is a nice bat.

[Latimeria]

No kidding, I wish we saw that bat that big at the SNBF-XV!

Well done boss and it looks like you're doing better than many of us lately. I've been having a hell of a time getting bigger critter bites this year.

Bravo sir!

[Tim524]

 57'' is a monster :

[vdisney]

Uploaded these for Joey, nice fish

[Farmer_Joey]

Uploaded these for Joey, nice fish

Thank you!

[Farmer_Joey]

No kidding, I wish we saw that bat that big at the SNBF-XV!

Well done boss and it looks like you're doing better than many of us lately. I've been having a hell of a time getting bigger critter bites this year.

Bravo sir!

The surf fishing is improving a lot so I'm sure we'll see you guys getting on more fish very soon.

But let's hope for no more bat rays

[Latimeria]

No kidding, I wish we saw that bat that big at the SNBF-XV!

Well done boss and it looks like you're doing better than many of us lately. I've been having a hell of a time getting bigger critter bites this year.

Bravo sir!

The surf fishing is improving a lot so I'm sure we'll see you guys getting on more fish very soon.

But let's hope for no more bat rays

hahaha, I hear ya on the bats when looking for grinners!

We'll be hitting the sand tonight in search of our first 7-gill of the year!

[Pinoyfisher]

That bat looks enormous!!

[Latimeria]

http://prehistoricsoul.com/


Front page material. 

[jrodda]

Uploaded these for Joey, nice fish

Jeez...

[Dark_Knight_9C1]

Awesome Batray!!
And a soupfin to boot.
Nice catching.  I'm still fishing for my first big one this year.
-Keith